Sigma 6 fics
by everfaraway
Summary: A bunch of random Sigma 6 fanfics that fit right into the cartoon.
1. Chapter 1

Recruiting

_**Author: My weird idea of how the team came together. And I know Hi-Tech and Duke aren't brothers, but so sue me. Wait don't plz. All characters belong to their owners except for Hatchet. 4give the length.**_

A young man leaned back in his chair in his quarters. He ran his hand through his blonde hair. A knock came on his door. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Hawk." the voice outside answered.

He smirked and said, "Come on in." The older man entered. Hawk smiled warmly at the younger man.

"Morning Duke." he said. Duke nodded, his blue eyes barely open. Both men were well-built and tall, but Hawk was much older than Duke, perhaps even old enough to be his father. Duke was indeed young, still in his early twentys. Even though he was young, he had enough experience to tell when something was bothering a person.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Have you heard of a top-secret organization called Cobra?" he asked.

"They supposively don't exist." Duke told him.

Hawk nodded and said, "They exist. And the military wants me lead a highly trained team to combat them." He watched the younger man with an interest.

"Alright." he said.

"I want you to recruit members of the team. And be on it yourself." Hawk told him. Duke eyed him.

"I'll do it." he said.

"They want people of varied backgrounds and ecthics. With skills as a pilot, marks-man and also someone who's very good with computers and electronics. Anyone else you can find who's highly skilled will work." he said.

Duke sat there for a few moments after Hawk left, before turning to his computer and pulling up records for everyone at the base.

"Okay, now there was someone here on base who was good with recon." he whispered, typing. A small list of names came up on screen.

"Spirit." he said, looking at his profile.

"Trains birds of prey to do recon work. I forgot about that." he muttered. The blonde got up and walked out the door. A few minutes later, he knocked on another door.

"Come in my friend." The voice was warm, which meant that he knew who had knocked. Duke carefully opened the door. A small falcon fluttered to his shoulder. "Billy is glad you came." Spirit said. He handed the bird back. Duke had known Spirit for years. The older man was taller than he was and much darker toned. He had eerie hazel eyes and greyish black hair. Spirit was heavy built like he was. Though not many people completely understood him, they all knew that Spirit was very proud of his heritage.

"Have you heard of Cobra?" he asked. The indian man nodded as Billy fluttered to his shoulder.

"Hawk has asked you to put together a team to combat Cobra." Spirit said. It was Duke's turn to nod. "If you need someone for recon, Billy and I will gladly join this team." he told him.

"I'm glad. I wouldn't want anyone else." Duke said.

Two weeks later Duke was on a plane about to land on a military base in Georgia. He looked down at the file in his lap.

"Why do this things come with just a small amount of information and no picture?" he muttered. His stomach jumped into his throat as the plane landed.

"Sorry." the pilot told him as he got off. He stepped into the hanger and looked around.

"All these planes and no pilots." he said.

"That's because they're all out." A young woman jumped down.

"Except you." Duke told her.

"Yeah, because I heard there was a guy who supposed to come in looking for a pilot." she said.

"You're Shanna." he guessed.

"Just Scarlett." she told him. After a few minutes, he was leaning up againest the outer wall of a plane and she was sitting on it's wing. "So what's Cobra trying to do?" she asked.

"Take over the world." he told her.

She laughed and said, "Couldn't they have thought up something original. Every group of bad guys wants that."

Duke smirked and said, "Cobra's been influenced by too many movies."

"That's true." she laughed.

Hawk was waiting on them when they flew back to the base.

"Who's this?" he asked Duke.

"The newest member of the team." he said.

"Scarlett." she told him.

"Nice to meet you miss. And there's been a little complication since you've been gone Duke." he said.

"What?" he asked.

"We've got somebody inside who somehow knows about Cobra, but has never been in the military." Hawk told him.

"How?" Scarlett asked.

"He says that he's got a very reliable source that told him." he said. Duke looked over his shoulder at her. She gave him a brief smile. They walked into a hallway where they found Spirit looking inside through the one-way mirror.

"Welcome back." Spirit said, not turning his gaze from the room. Inside sat a heavy built and very tall black man dressed in camo.

"Who is he?" Duke asked.

"He won't say." Hawk said.

"Did he come in on his own?" Scarlett asked.

"We're not sure yet." he muttered.

"I'm going to go talk to him." Duke said. Billy flew after him as he walked into the room. The man inside glanced up at him. "I hear you know about Cobra." he said, leaning againest table in front of him.

"I've heard of them. Someone's probably already told ya I've got a reliable source." the man told him.

The blonde sighed and muttered, "You have a name?"

"All I give out is my codename." he said.

"You've never been in the military." he reminded him as the falcon landed on his shoulder.

"I picked up a few things. But it's Heavy Duty." he said, very calmly.

"Duke." he told him. Heavy Duty looked him over fairly quickly. Billy screeched and flew to the other side of the room. Spirit watched the falcon fluff up and click his beak angerly.

Before either of them could react a panel on the ceiling caved in and fell between them. With it came a man, who apparently had been up there the whole time. Outside the room Hawk, Spirit and Scarlett went for the door. Duke waved them off, before they could storm in. "Hey ya H.D." the man said, picking himself up. The man was skinny with shaggy red hair and pale; he was dressed in shades of brown and tan. On his back he wore a backpack of some sort.

"You two are friends." Duke asked.

"Tunnel Rat's t'e name, infil'ry and 'xplos'ves t'e game." he said. The blonde smirked as he looked towards the half-open door where Scarlett, Hawk and Spirit stood. Hawk sighed, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"You are a magnet for team members my friend." Spirit said, as Billy flew off with Tunnel Rat's bag, which he had just set on the table.

"Hey, give me that. Thievin' bird, come back." he said, chasing him around the room. Billy landed on the table and shoved his head into the bag. "Get outta ther'." he said, pulling the bag away from him. The falcon dropped something on the table and spread his wings over it. "It stole m' burger!" he snapped. As Billy dug into his meal, Duke smirked at Spirit.

Hawk watched as Duke shifted through a few files.

"This is the guy." he told him, handing him the file.

"He's in Spain." he said.

"No, he's from Spain. He's in Maryland right now as part of a group that brings in highly skilled individuals from all over the world to the US." the blonde said.

"First Georgia, now Maryland. Got plans to fly out of country, too?" Hawk asked. Duke shook his head. "Have fun." he said. The next day he landed at the base in Maryland.

"It's colder than Hawk said. Good thing I listened to Spirit instead." he said, zipping up his furlined jacket.

"You must be Duke." a man said, as he walked in the door.

"And you're Hatchet." he muttered.

"Come on in. Spirit said you'd be around soon." Hatchet told him.

"You know Spirit?" he asked.

"I used to work with him." he said. He led him through the halls. "What do you know about Long Range?" he asked Duke.

"He's an excellent marksman, trained by some of the best. He's also from Spain and came to America about a year and a half ago." Duke said, taking off his jacket.

"He hates Cobra to an extreme and can be moody sometimes. Just don't ask why he hates Cobra. This is his room." Hatchet said.

"Thanks." he said.

"He might have company." he warned him.

"Like who?" he asked. The older man didn't answer.

The door opened and two men looked up. Duke glanced at them. One wore a full body suit in shades of black and grey. The other was a white tank top, black pants and com-bat boots with a toothpick in his mouth. A silver trenchcoat lay over the chair.

"That's the marksman." Hatchet said. Duke walked in and stopped in front of them. Both men were watching him carefully.

"Long Range?" he asked, trying not to take his eyes off the other man.

"Yeah." he said, glancing him over.

"Name's Duke. I'm pulling in recruits for a very top secret team. I've got some people already, but I need a marksman." he told him.

Long Range twirled the toothpick in his mouth and said, "You heard what Hatchet said. What's this team for?"

"To defeat Cobra." he said. Long Range and his friend looked at each other as the one in the full body suit turned his head slightly.

"You came to the right place for a marksman amigo. But what would you say to going back with a ninja too?" he asked. Duke looked over at the other man. "Snake Eyes doesn't talk. But, he's the best ninja in the world." Long Range told him.

"I can get you on the team." Duke said.

"His brother too." he added.

"Brother?" he asked. A ninja in white came in.

"Storm Shadow." Long Range said. He nodded and walked off.

_"The legendary Snake Eyes. This is awsome."_ he thought. Snake Eyes lifted his head, sensing Duke's amazement.

A few moments later, he stepped outside and took his cell phone out of his pocket. "Pick up Hawk. Before I freeze out here." he muttered.

"Hello?" a very sleepy sounding voice asked.

"It's snowing up here." Duke told him.

"I bet you're without a good heavy jacket." the older man said.

"No, because I listened to Spirit. So I brought my furlined jacket and I'm still cold." he muttered.

"Why would I want to know that it's snowing?" Hawk asked.

"Because I'm bringing a snow ball back with me and going to hit you with it when you least expect it." he said.

"Um hum. Did you find the spanish marksman." he said.

"Yeah, I found him and I'll be back later maybe." the blonde told him. The phone line went dead as a snow ball hit him in the back. He put the phone in his pocket and turned to face whoever had thrown the snow ball. Long Range smirked as he threw a second snow ball, this one hitting Duke's arm. "I see you, what?" he asked.

"We're packed and ready to leave amigo." he said.

"Okay. Give me a few minutes." Duke said, heading for the plane.

"You got a cold compartment in here?" he asked the pilot.

"Yeah, under the seats." he said. Duke jumped out and grabbed plastic bag from inside the building.

"What are you doing?" Hatchet asked, appearing in the door way.

"Gonna take a few presents back with me." he explained. A few moments later, they took off headed back to Arizona.

Duke grabbed his ice chest. "In here." he said. The three newest members of the team followed him into a room.

"You didn't say you were coming back with three." Scarlett said.

"I didn't know I would be, but I got a marksman and a pair of ninjas." he said, opening the ice chest carefully. He pulled out a snowball and threw it at Hawk, who jumped three feet in the air. Another hit Spirit on the back of the neck. A third hit Tunnel Rat in the face and another hit Heavy Duty's shirt. Scarlett got hit in the back. Another hit Snake Eyes in the arm and Long Range got hit in head. Storm Shadow took the snowball in the wrist.

"You brought us a marksman, ninjas and plenty of snowballs, anything else?" Hawk asked as he laughed.

Duke got up and said, "I'm expecting someone who's good with computers and electronics."

Spirit took him by the arm and whispered, "He is already here. I've asked him to stay in your quarters for the time being."

"How long?" he asked.

"Billy told me of his arrival half an hour ago, just before his plane landed on the base." he muttered.

"Give me a few minutes." he said, walking out.

He opened the door to his room and stepped inside.

"Hey Conrad." A young man came up to him. He was about Duke's height, but not as built, though he had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as him. Duke gently ruffled his hair.

"You saw Spirit and Billy." he told him.

"The bird's name is Billy?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's go let you meet the rest of the team." he said. They walked down the hall and into the room where the rest were waiting for their return.

"A kid?" Tunnel Rat asked.

"I'm not a kid." the blonde muttered. Hawk looked him over as Storm Shadow and Long Range shared a curious look.

"Meet my little brother." Duke told them. All eyes fell on the young man.

"This Hawk, Scarlett, Tunnel Rat, Heavy Duty, Long Range, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. You know Spirit and Billy." he said. The younger man nodded. It didn't take long for any of them to notice that he was nervous.

"Got a name?" Long Range asked.

"Jesse Hauser, but I'd rather go by Hi-Tech." he said. Duke glanced at him. Hi-Tech meet his eyes carefully and then looked at Hawk.

"How good is he with electronics?" Scarlett asked.

"I know that all the cameras are on a single network that runs a seperate power source from the rest of the base." he said. Everyone, even Duke, looked slightly shocked. "I hacked into the system just before Conrad came in and told it to shut the power off.. about now." he added. Then the power went out.

"I'm impressed." Hawk said. Duke patted his brother's shoulder

The power flickered back on to reveal Hi-Tech grinning from ear to ear.

"I say we keep 'em." Tunnel Rat said.

"I'm not a dog!" he snapped.

Duke shook his head lightly and muttered, "We know. He meant keep you on the team." Hawk glanced at Duke and then Spirit. Duke stared into both their eyes, pleading with them to let him stay. Spirit looked at Hawk, sending him a meanfully look, but one Duke couldn't read.

"Alright. We'll keep him on the team. He's the best with computers that I've ever seen." Hawk said. Hi-Tech jumped into the air once, before Duke grabbed him and held him down by his shoulders.

"I just got an idea." he said, looking at him.

"Really." Hawk said.

"Yeap. It'll take me a day or two to make, but I'll pull it off." Hi-Tech told him.

"Alright, Mr. ex-FBI. Get your brother into a spare room and then make sure he has whatever he'll need for this project of his." he said.

"You were a Fed?" Hi-Tech asked Duke.

"At one point." he said, leading him out of the room.

"Did Duke have anyone else picked out?" Spirit asked.

"I hope not. This is a good sized team." Hawk said, glancing at the members still in the room.

Spirit sighed and muttered, "Though I doubt this will be most members this team will get." Hawk glanced over each of the team members thoughfully and then looked at Spirit.

The next day, Snake Eyes walked into what was becoming the team's conferan-ce room, but he didn't return alone. With him, were two younger figures. One was a young woman with long black hair in numerous ponytail holders with chopsticks shoved in her hair. The other was a young man who dressed in a dark blue suit similar to Snake Eyes.

Hawk looked at Spirit and said, "You said we'd be getting a few more members." The young woman looked at Snake Eyes, who nodded.

"We're his apprentences." she said.

"Cool. Got names?" Heavy Duty asked.

"Komakura. She's Jynx." he said. Long Range looked at the two young ninjas.

"Why the' call ya Jynx?" Tunnel Rat asked.

"Because I'm like a black cat. It's bad luck to cross my path." she said, eeriely. Tunnel Rat started to twitch and backed away carefully.

"Welcome to the team." Duke said.

"Anybody who can shut up T-Rat's cool." Heavy Duty agreed. The pair of young ninja's looked at Storm Shadow.

"Jynx. Komakura." he said, nodding to each of them.

"They can stay, but they're your responsibility Snake Eyes." Hawk told him. He didn't speak, but nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

Worst of Days

_**Author: Set after the base blows up in Season 1. I own nobody.**_

Scarlett looked out towards the what was left of the base. The base she had worked so hard to save; the base she had called home for several years. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Everyone seemed to be having a hard time of dealing with it, they were only recently out on a mission. Snake Eyes had returned with Scott and Duke had put him up with his robotic dog in the very back of the ROCC. Jynx had gotten in touch and told them that Komakura had several broken ribs. And when Scott called Hawk, he found out that he would be in the hospital longer. She herself had taken shelter in the Rhino Chopper for a short time earlier.

Snake Eyes leaned in the shadow of one of the rock formations they were hiding out near. He could see Tunnel Rat slinking around on one of the rocks. Billy was flying over head, coming back from recon work. Spirit and Hi-Tech had the falcon getting them pictures of what was left of the base. He hadn't been there since before Cobra had hit it, when Duke had asked him to go rescue Hawk's son.

Hi-Tech looked at his backup computer that he had connected to the computer in the back room of the ROCC, that he was currently sharing with Scott. It didn't seem to bother either of them and both were too tired to care much about what the other was up to. In fact, they hadn't talked much. The kid was still a little freaked out by Cobra, then coming to stay with them, so he hadn't said much. Right now he was leaning againest the wall with SPUD at his side. Hi-Tech himself was in his chair, not talking much because of his work and partically because he was still a little upset about the base.

Scott looked at SPUD, thinking about everything that had happened. He had only been trying to win a stupid contest and now he was involved in an on-going war between his dad's friends and Cobra. On top of that, his dad was still in the hospital and he'd be in there longer still. Slowly tears filled his eyes and he began to sob, half buried under the silver trenchcoat that Long Range had lent him as he layed down againest SPUD. Hi-Tech glanced down at him and knealt beside him. "You okay Scott?" he asked, gently setting a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head violently. Of course he wasn't okay, he was caught up in something he didn't want to be caught up in. His father was still in the hospital when he wanted him to be with him. He was around people he didn't even know and he was scared out of his wits. The blonde sat beside him and gently ran his hand over his back. It wasn't much, but it was probably all he could think of to do.

Long Range heard what sounded like sobs coming from the back of the ROCC. _"It's not Hi-Tech, I don't think."_ he thought, as he got up. The door was half open, so he pushed it the rest of the way. Hi-Tech was sitting on the floor, half hiding Scott who was curled under his trenchcoat.

"You okay amigo?" he asked, coming in.

"He's just upset, probably scared." the blonde said. The robotic dog whined and nuzzled the teen gently as the rest of the team came in. Most of them looked concerned or hurt too. He glanced over at Duke. They all knew that what the kid had gone through would affect him. It was the best they could all do to attempt to block out what had happened, but even those of them who were used to things becoming crazy were having problems holding up. Even he was upset, though like with everything else, he hid it well. Scott continued to sobb until he did little more than sniff and whimper.

Tunnel Rat watched as Scott finished crying. He knew that if he could have, he would probably have burst out in tears alongside the teen. But his tears had been used up years ago. When he was younger, his life had been so unstable and constantly off-kil-ter that he had to learn to adapt quickly. Though he did, more than anything, he wanted a normal life, but couldn't have it. But when he joined the military doing work with explo-sives, he was left pretty much to his own devices. Then one day, the group that he was with just left him alone in the wild. Through it all he had learned to survive, but now even the fact the base was gone and another home was behind him, was hard to digest. He turned and walked out of the ROCC, Heavy Duty following closely at his heels.

Spirit watched the red head take off, undoubtablely to vent. Billy set on his shoul-der, crooning sadly. "I know my friend." he whispered. The falcon nipped at him. The falcon had been small when he had first heard about the special ops team. He was still training Billy at the time, when Hawk came knocking on his door. They had both been asked to attend a secret meeting that night and that was when he was told that a top secret group of individuals were going to team up to combat Cobra. Hawk trusted Duke to re-cruit the members for the team. The day after the meeting, Duke came to him. Before he could even ask, Spirit knew that the young man wanted him on the team. Since then, they had moved into the base, which was gone. Billy flew out; Spirit followed.

Duke watched as Snake Eyes headed back towards the shadows, before turning his attention to the floor. Never since he had helped Hawk put together the team, did he even consider that they could lose their base. He knew that there had been so many times when the team could have fallen apart in the past. Shortly after they had found out about Snake Eyes's brother turning to work for Cobra, they all began to wonder if he was still trustworthy. Jynx and Komakura had stood by him and distanced themselves from the rest of the team. But in the end, all three ninjas proved that their loyaltys didn't waver easily. The base had served as so many things in past: a home, a war zone and a santuary. Each of them called it home. It had been where some of them had argued a hundred times over. And most of all it was a santuary, for when they needed somewhere to hide from their pasts and their fears, tell secrets knowing they'd be kept and learn to trust again. Now it hurt him to see his team hurt and upset, since he had so reluctantly told them to evacuate. It felt almost like it was his fault the base was gone.

Heavy Duty leaned againest the ROCC. He could only guess what was going through Scarlett's mind as she climbed into the Rhino Chopper again. Like everyone else, the blow that had come in form of Cobra attacking the base hit him hard. He had meet Tunnel Rat shortly after his return to New York from being dumped off in the wild. The red-head was like a brother to him and they were always looking out for each other. It was the other man who had heard about some team that was going againest Cobra. The plan had been for him to get caught and drag Tunnel Rat in a little later, but that bot-tomed out when the panel in the roof that the red head was on did. Since then the base had been like a home for them both, despite the fact that he had a bit of a shady past. But regardless, they found their places in the team and ended up trusting their team mates.

Scarlett curled up in the cockpit of the Rhino Chopper. Her redish-hazel eyes were filled with tears. First they had lost the base and then they thought Duke had drowned, but he came back safe. The stress was getting to her, which was odd, since she was so used to dealing with stress. "It's all too much." she whispered to no one. Aside from Spirit, she had been the first person Duke recruited for the team. She understood him, mainly because they both had plenty of military experience and by-the-book attitudes. Since the very beginning, she had stepped in as his second in command and was always by his side. Secretly, Scarlett loved him. But while Cobra was operat-ing, she knew that they'd never have a chance. The base had been her home and it was gone, everything that she had held sacred was lost. She lowered her head and burst out into tears.

Snake Eyes sat on a rock far above the rest of the team. _"The base is gone, the team is distraut and Komakura is in the hospital."_ he thought. He felt his heart break in his chest. For everyone else, the base was a home, but for him it had been somewhere all of his secrets were stored. Duke, Spirit, Long Range and the others were the only people he had trusted. The marksman was the only one he had every spoken to, in secret of course. His teammates were the only ones who knew of Cobra's brainwashing Storm Shadow. He trusted them, he had loved the base and now the base was gone, but his trust in them was not. Jynx sat in the waiting room of the Phoenix hospital. As much as she tried, she couldn't prevent the tears. She felt like her whole world had shattered. Her best friend was in the hospital, her home was destroyed and her master was injuried. Both Komakura and Snake Eyes had always been a comfort to her and she always felt safe at the base, like nothing could destroy it. Komakura whimpered in his bed in the hospital room. He was on pain killers but they couldn't help the pain inside. He glanced towards the window and whispered, "Sensai." They had all seen what was left of the base and nobody liked the images. He turned his head and sobbed silently into the pillow.

Hi-Tech stayed beside Scott as he continued to sniff. The kid was so much like him when he was a teen. All he had really cared about was computers and occassional-ly talking to Duke. Anything that was electronic that he could take apart, he had. That skill had been the reason his older brother had called him and said that there was a spot on a special ops. team that needed filling. He felt that he had no choice but the join. Now, almost everything he had created was gone. Cobra had destroyed his computer station, the garage, his workshop, everything. Half-heartly he sighed and glanced up at his older brother for support but unfortunately, found very little.

Long Range leaned againest the door frame of the Rocc. His hazel eyes flicker-ed with emotion. Years ago when a group like Cobra destroyed his home in Madrid, he had vowed to get his revenge. Since then, he had hardened himself againest anything that would disrupt his life further. Years after the attack, he went into the military and started training to become a marksman, a decent shot already. Quickly he showed promise, ending up one of the best in the world. He used his new found skills againest any group like Cobra and Cobra itself. After spending years in the military in Spain, he came to America. His first eighteen months in the country were spent up Maryland as part of a group of highly trained individuals from all over world. There he was befriended by Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, then Duke showed up. The young man was in need of a marksman and the moment he heard he'd be going againest Cobra, which in his eyes was the ultimate group to bring down, he was deeply considering the offer. But he gave a counter offer, he'd go if the ninja's got on the team too. They were on their way to the base within a day or two. That base became their home and a place where he could forget about his quest for vengance. But Long Range never forgot how much he hated Cobra and now he had another reason to hate them. _"One day I will avenge what happened to the base. And Madrid."_ he thought. He sat down in the doorway and ran his hands through his hair, losing his battle to hide the tears that he hadn't shed over the years.


	3. Chapter 3

After The Last Battle

_**Author: Set after last episode of Season 1. None r mine.**_

Everyone sat around in the Rocc. "Sorry Scarlet, but it doesn't look like we're go-ing to be able to fix the jet and chopper soon, they're just too beat up." Hi-Tech said.

"And here I let you fly the jet." she teased. Spud put his front paws up on Snake Eyes and barked. The ninja patted the robot dog's head.

"Thanks for getting Spud out of that robot." Scott said. He nodded.

"Though how he did it, we'll never know." Komakura muttered, slightly jealous.

"Someday sensei can teach us." Jynx told him.

"You think?" he asked. She nodded. Snake Eyes brushed the robot dog away and got to his feet. They went and stood on each side of him. Jynx and Komakura let him wrap an arm around each of them.

"Where'd you take leasons in bein' a doctor Long Range!" Heavy Duty yelped.

"I didn't." Long Range muttered.

"Great!" he snapped. Without anything better to do, the marksman had convin-ced Heavy Duty to let him look at his banged up leg.

"You're lucky that the bone's not broken hombre." he said.

"Forget takin' a trip to the hospital then?" he asked.

"Depends on how bad it's cracked." he said.

"Oh, jezz." he muttered. Heavy Duty yelped in pain as Long Range pulled the rope around the split tight. "I thought you said it wasn't broken!" he snapped. The marksman's patience was about up and so was his temper, which was odd because he was normally extremely patient.

"Unless you want it to crack worse or break, you're gonna have to deal with a splint until a doctor comes back into town!" he shouted back. All heads turned towards them.

"We just defeated Cobra. Do not attempt to defeat each other." Spirit said, a bit sharper than he had intended. They both glared at him.

"Hey, if we just beat Cobra how come we're not celebrating or something?" Komakura asked. Nobody bothered to answer him. In silence Long Range finished with the splint and headed out.

"You really want an answer to your question amigo?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess." he muttered.

"Because it doesn't feel like we just beat Cobra." he told him. Snake Eyes watched Long Range leave.

"I don't get it. What do you... mean?" Komakura asked, but Long Range was well out of sight.

"He means that if Cobra Commander hadn't almost tied our hands by attacking in a city and using Spud in the robot, we would have beat them easily. Without the destruction and people getting hurt." Scarlett said gently.

"But, still. Doesn't it mean something. We just brought down their best robot. The Commander took off. We..." he said, before being cut off.

"It means that they might lay low for a while and we'll have time to heal, repair and rebuild. But they're not gone." Hi-Tech told him, slumped in his chair. The ninja sank to his knees on the floor.

"Why does Cobra Commander have to make this so complicated and hard?" he whispered.

"If he didn't make it hard for us to beat Cobra, then we would have done so a long time ago. Then we wouldn't be a part of this team anymore. None of us would." Jynx said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Spirit opened one of the panels on the wall of the Rocc and pulled out his duffle bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"Where ya goin'?" Tunnel Rat asked him. He didn't answer. A few moments later he reappeared, in normal clothes. Duke watched him walk out of the Rocc and out into the city. He waundered aimlessly around; Billy followed above. Suddenly, he stumbled and leaned againest what was left of a support beam. He felt drained, exhausted and weak. The falcon fluttered down. The world burled, then darkened.

Billy flew, screeching, back towards the Rocc. Suddenly a figure below him got his attention. The silver trenchcoat was a give away that it was Long Range. He dove down towards him.

"Hola amigo. What's wrong?" the marksman asked, as he flapped franticly on dead air in front of him. He gained altittude and soared back towards Spirit. He knew something was wrong and followed the falcon. Billy led him to Spirit and took off to the Rocc. Inside Spud began to howl.

"What's wrong boy? You're not hurt are you?" Scott asked. The falcon glided through the open doors and landed on the control panel.

"Billy?" they all asked as Spud continued howling.

"I think something's wrong with him. He's never acted like this before." Scott told Hi-Tech.

Duke looked from the robotic dog to the falcon.

"I don't think anythings wrong with Spud Scott." he said as Billy hopped franticly from button to button.

"What's he doing to my control panel?" Hi-Tech asked.

"I think he's pulling something up on screen. Looks like Spirit's bio." Scarlett said.

"I think he's doing charades. Trying to tell us something." Heavy Duty suggested.

"Yeah." Tunnel Rat agreed.

"Okay, I'll play along," Hi-Tech said. "Can I have my control panel back now please?" Billy pecked his hand. "Guess not." he muttered. The bird hesitated, then went back to work. Scott had finally gotten Spud quiet by holding his mouth shut.

"Sorry boy." he whispered.

"Hey amigos. Spirit's out like a light over here." Long Range said as he appeared on the screen.

"That explains what's wrong with Billy." Jynx muttered.

"We'll be out there in a minute." Duke told him.

Long Range pressed his fingers againest the side of Spirit's neck.

"Well hombre, at least you're still alive." he muttered. From what he could tell, his breathing was relaxed but steady. The marksman glanced over his shoulder as the ninjas and Scarlett appeared.

"How'd you find him?" Scarlett asked.

"Billy led me to him. I was heading to the Rocc." he told her.

"When?" Jynx asked.

"A few minutes ago." he guessed. "When Spud starting howling. Just before Billy flew in and started hopping all over the control panel." Komakura said. Snake Eyes hoisted the man up and slipped one of his arms over his shoulders. Long Range went to Spirit's other side, doing the same.

"Let's get back so Hi-Tech can have a look at him." Scarlett told them. The five of them made their way to the Rocc, laying Spirit down in the back room. Hi-Tech gave him a quick look over.

"Personally, I think he collasped from exhaustion. It's been a rough time for us all." he said.

"Do you guys think I could call my dad? He's probably seen the news and worrying himself senseless." Scott asked.

"Sure, hang on and I'll put you through." Hi-Tech said, getting up.

A moment later Hawk appeared on the screen.

"Hey dad." Scott said, as Spud's tail wagged and he barked.

"Scott, are you alright?" Hawk asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. Sigma 6 took out that big robot Cobra sent. But they had to fire all at the same time at one point and Snake Eyes saved Spud from inside the robot be-cause Cobra was using his A.I. system to run it." he told him, all in one breath.

"Slow down Scott. Now, tell me the whole story. From start to finish." he said. It took him almost half an hour to tell the story, with some of the team throwing in parts that Scott didn't know, like how Tunnel Rat and Spirit had hi-jacked a Cobra flight ship that Zartan was in to get to the city. By the time it was over, Hawk was laughing. "It seems like you all had an adventure. I wouldn't have minded being in on the action again." he said. "If you were here, it would have made the story all the better." Duke told him. Spirit came out of the back room. Billy flew to him.

"Ya a'righ'?" Tunnel Rat asked.

"Fine." he said, looking at the screen.

"You had a part in this too from what I heard." Hawk told him. He nodded and sat on the table.

They all scattered around as Scott continued to talk to Hawk.

"Duke, before Hi-Tech disconnects us. Did you give Cobra Commander one for me?" he asked.

"I think it was one for the team and then one for pure payback." Scarlett said.

He shrugged and said, "I won't be surprised what I said during that fight."

"At least you got him good enough to make him run off with his tail between his legs like a dog." Heavy Duty said, who shifted his weight and winced. Spud whined. "No offense." he said, patting his head.

"All of you take care of Scott for me. And just one last thing and then you can kill the connection Hi-Tech." Hawk told them.

"Yeah." Hi-Tech said.

He sighed and said, "You all are, by far, the best people I have ever met and the best team I know." They all stared at the screen as it went black. One by one they all looked at the ground, refusing to meet anyone else's eyes. Long Range tugged off his trench coat and went to change. Duke leaned againest the control panel.

"Hurry back in Long Range!" he called.

"Uno momento." he said.

Less than a minute later, he reappeared, changed but still in his trenchcoat. He nodded to him.

"I have one thing to say too." he told the team. They all looked at Duke. Scott hugged Spud and watched him. "Cobra may be gone, but Hi-Tech was right when he said earlier that they might lay low for a bit, but they'll come back. They'll come back until we're lock all of Cobra up. Every member: Commander, Baroness, Destro, each of them. And until they're all locked up, Sigma 6 is going to keep going on missions and we're going to keep fighting them. If I leading or not, I want this team to fight with everything it's got. But I don't expect anything to hold any of you here. Anyone who wants to go can go." he told them. No one moved.

"We ain't goin' anywhere Duke." Tunnel Rat told him. Spirit nodded his agreement.

"How do you expect us to sleep at night when we know that you're out there fighting Cobra?" Jynx asked. Komakura nodded.

"Hey, once I get healed, I'm coming with ya." Heavy Duty said.

"I'll fight with you, as long as it takes." Scarlett told him. Everyone glanced at Snake Eyes and Long Range.

"I'm staying amigos." he said. Snake Eyes didn't move, but Duke could tell that he had the ninja's loyalties

"We'll help, won't we boy." Scott said. Duke nodded. Slowly they looked at each other.

"Go Joe!" they all shouted. Billy and Spud voiced their agreement in their own ways.


	4. Chapter 4

Following Hidden

_**Author: I own nobody. Unfortunately. My only ScarlettxSnake fic.**_

"This Firefly guy reminds me of Tunnel Rat." Jynx said as she walked alongside Scarlett.

The red head sighed and said, "Unfortunately. I can barely handle one of them, the world doesn't need two." The young ninja sent a small smile in her teammates direction.

"I bet Sensai wasn't happy with him." she guessed.

Scarlett laughed and said, "He was plenty mad, especially when Firefly was trying to sweet talk me." It was a well known fact within the team that Snake Eyes and Scarlett were dating. But nobody understood how they even had a relationship, when he would never take off his mask or speak. Long Range knew better. The marksman alone had realized that when it was just them, he abandoned the mask and his silence.

"What about Stone?" Jynx asked.

"He's good man, by the book. But much more strict than Duke." she told her.

"Really, is he going snap the whip at us?" she whispered.

"I don't think so. He doesn't have the right to do that anyways. We're Duke's team, not his." Scarlett said. Jynx nodded, feeling a bit more reassured now. "What do you think of them?" she asked.

"I think they're all okay. Take a bit of getting used to." the young ninja admited. Scarlett wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her inside the ship, christened the Sea Titan.

Long Range waundered through the battle ship, taking in every detail.

"Well, I'll give them this. Es muy bueno." he said, reverting as always back to his native tongue.

"I was wondering where you ran off to. Long Range is it." He turned to face Stone, a man whom he barely knew, but was starting to like.

"Si hombre." he said.

"You'll have to forgive my lack of spanish." Stone told him.

"Yeah." he translated. They headed down one of the halls.

"What do you think of her?" he asked. Long Range knew all too well that it was old habit for men to talk about ships like they were women.

"It's amazing." he said.

"A quick answer, but leaves quite a bit to be wondered. I took you for a man of that sort." the British man told him. A heavy silence lingered over them, broken only by voices from one of the rooms.

"Three queens."

"Full hou'!"

"Try a bigger full house bro."

"I believe they're playing poker." Stone said.

"Firefly, Tunnel Rat and Heavy Duty." Long Range added.

"Speaking of Firefly. He seems to have upset Snake Eyes a bit by taking an interest in Scarlett." he said.

"Snake Eyes and Scarlett are dating amigo." he told him.

"I thought Duke had mentioned something along that line." Stone said. More silence, aside from their footsteps and the swish of Long Range's trenchcoat. "You and he are old chums am I correct?" Stone asked.

"Snake Eyes. Yeah, we've known each other for several years. You and Duke." he said.

Stone chuckled and said, "For several years."

Snake Eyes ran a sharpening stone over his kitana. It didn't need it, he knew, but he needed something to do. It was either occupy himself or go hunt down Firefly and vent his anger on him. But, as tempting as it was, it out of the question.

"Sensai?" Komakura asked softly, as he sat on the floor behind him. Snake Eyes glanced over his shoulder at him and put away his kitana. The stone he placed in his duffle bag, before turning to his apprentice. They sat in silence; Komakura reading his master's body language and the ninja: the young man's eyes. "Did I come at a bad time?" he asked. Snake Eyes didn't move, a sign that he did. "Do I need to leave?" he whispered. He shook his head. "Were you waiting on Scarlett?" he asked, relaxing a little. He nodded. "I'll stay until she gets here." Komakura told him. Shadows hid Snake Eye's unruly hair and the scar under his eye. He nodded and relaxed, a sign that his apprentice was to also. "I don't trust Firefly. Something doesn't feel right about him." Komakura told him.

"I know. But we must attempt to get along with him, not for sake of our tempers but for our cause. To fight amongst ourselves is to give Cobra the amount of leverage that could destroy the team completely." he said.

"Just like the saying the smallest pebble can divert the mightest river?" the younger man asked.

"Yes, exactly..." he agreed, trailing off as the door opened.

"Did we interrupt?" Jynx asked.

"No, I was going to leave." Komakura said, before lowering his head to Snake Eyes respectfully. Scarlett walked in as he left, shutting the door. Snake Eyes got up to greet her. She hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"What do you think of this place?" he asked.

"I'll learn to live with it, but not Firefly." she told him. A sound near a growl began in his throat. "You don't like him either." she said.

"I don't trust him and neither does Komakura." he admited.

"I thought it was because he was flirting with me." she teased.

"Partly it was, but I fail to see how Stone trusts him." Snake Eyes told her.

"Stone seems like a good man, but I don't like Firefly." she said. He nodded. "Don't do something you'll regret." she told him.

_"What I do to Firefly won't be something that I will regret, but instead it will make me as bad as Cobra."_ he thought. "Fine." he muttered. She kissed him gently.

He pulled away as footsteps stopped outside his door. A knock came on the door. Scarlett turned to answer it. Long Range and Stone stood on the other side.

"Forgive us for interrupting." Stone said.

"It's alright." she said, nodding back to Snake Eyes who had pulled his mask back on quickly. Long Range felt her brush past him, before he turned his attention to the ninja who stepped out to join them.

"Snake Eyes." Lt. Stone said by way of greeting. He nodded as Tunnel Rat's door burst open and Firefly stumbled out.

"I do not cheat!" he shouted.

"We'll get someone to frisk ya next time!" Heavy Duty called back.

"Nobody's frisking me unless it's Scarlett!" he joked. Snake Eyes reached for his kitana in his anger. The marksman grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"He's not worth it Snake Eyes. Scarlett would never fall for someone like him." he said in spanish. The smaller man considered what he had been about to do and dropped his arm. Luckily for them Lt. Stone didn't speak spanish and Firefly wasn't paying attention.

Firefly looked at Long Range who still was holding onto Snake Eye's arm. The ninja seemed calm but the fire in the marksman's eyes were stilling burning.

"What's up guys?" he asked. "One wrong move around Scarlett and he will make you regret it. One word againest her and I will make you wish you had never been born." Long Range growled in spanish. He blinked at them in surprise. The marksman turned and walked away with his trenchcoat flaring behind him. Snake Eyes stared at his retreating back. He had known Long Range was protective of Scarlett but never like this.


End file.
